Where are the Little Chefs going?

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Mark Hewitt
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where are the little chefs going?

Post by Mark Hewitt »

Yes they refurbished. But I ate a few times at one one on the A64 near York. And the food was passable at best, portions tiny. But; twice the price you'd pay anywhere else.

I ordered a curry there and I'm not joking that three mouthfuls and I'd finished it. The waiter came around to ask how my food was and I complained it was the smallest curry I'd ever seen, but he just smiled and walked off.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by NICK 647063 »

Yes they refurbished. But I ate a few times at one one on the A64 near York. And the food was passable at best, portions tiny. But; twice the price you'd pay anywhere else.
Talking of York I was passing by the one at Claxton east of York on the A64 and they were boarding that one up, it only reopened the year before last and is now closed again total waste of money!
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Big Nick
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by Big Nick »

The Little Chef at Markham Moor surprised me on Sunday, I didn't know they'd rebranded to such a bright red style!

It's rare that I make car journeys of more than 4 hours and I can get away with not eating for that long! Normally I'll go to my local Tesco and get some drinks, choccy bars and a cheap sandwich or two, all for £5 or less. Otherwise I'll look online with my smartphone and find a supermarket along the way. The better supermarket cafes are those in shopping centres where people are likely to stop in at all times of day, not the huge standalone ones on industrial estates.
Tastiest trick is to divert to a small market town off the main road and find a local sandwich shop or cafe.

My Dad would find prefer to find a pub on the way anywhere! I can recall visiting them but can't for the life of me recall where they were! :?
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by AndrewH »

SteveA30 wrote:I've always been puzzled by some of the chosen locations for both LC and the old Happy Eaters. No wonder so many have fallen by the wayside over the years.
The urban ones in West Yorkshire, always seemed a bit out of place, the long closed one at Rooley Avenue, Bradford and the soon to be closed one on Huddersfield Road, Mirfield. Both located not exactly on major trunk roads.
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PeterA5145
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by PeterA5145 »

AndrewH wrote:
SteveA30 wrote:I've always been puzzled by some of the chosen locations for both LC and the old Happy Eaters. No wonder so many have fallen by the wayside over the years.
The urban ones in West Yorkshire, always seemed a bit out of place, the long closed one at Rooley Avenue, Bradford and the soon to be closed one on Huddersfield Road, Mirfield. Both located not exactly on major trunk roads.
But many of the customers of Little Chefs were not families on long cross-country journeys, but salesmen and other business travellers who wanted a coffee, a toilet break, a quick wash and brush up and possibly a bite to eat before their next client visit. That's why a lot were situated on the fringes of conurbations.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by Big L »

PeterA5145 wrote:
AndrewH wrote:
SteveA30 wrote:I've always been puzzled by some of the chosen locations for both LC and the old Happy Eaters. No wonder so many have fallen by the wayside over the years.
The urban ones in West Yorkshire, always seemed a bit out of place, the long closed one at Rooley Avenue, Bradford and the soon to be closed one on Huddersfield Road, Mirfield. Both located not exactly on major trunk roads.
But many of the customers of Little Chefs were not families on long cross-country journeys, but salesmen and other business travellers who wanted a coffee, a toilet break, a quick wash and brush up and possibly a bite to eat before their next client visit. That's why a lot were situated on the fringes of conurbations.
Don't forget that those sales/businessmen may well have been on expenses, so rip-off prices are not an issue.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by A303Paul »

I don't think its just businessmen using them, otherwise the Little Chefs on the A303 would not be the success that they are.

They are not as cheap as a take away outlet but they are certainly cheaper than motorway services. You reasonably expect to pay more for a proper sit down meal with plates and metal cutlery than a burger in a cardboard box.

I suspect they also get a lot of trade from 50+ travellers who have more disposable income, tend to make more frequent stops on journeys, want somewhere reasonably peaceful and civilized without loud music blaring and serve food that more resembles a proper meal at home.

I take the family out to one from time to time, even when we are not on a particularly long journey, as you can normally park easily, see your car through the window (very important if going on holiday with a car full of luggage), they can accomodate 5 kids quite happily and, unlike a takeaway burger outlet it fills everyone up for the day, so no need to prepare a significant meal when you get home.

I would guess the principle clientelle are couples aged 40+ , families with children, travelling salesmen and other businessmen; and pensioners.

I suspect they would struggle to attract single people aged 16-30 whatever they did, as by definition once you turn 16 you consider the place your parents took you as a kid to be uncool, and if they changed the place totally to attract them, they would destroy the business model, especially as people aged 16-30 have not got much money, and if it was changed to be attractive to that demographic group it would put most of their other clients off.


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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by Fozzy »

AndrewH wrote:
SteveA30 wrote:I've always been puzzled by some of the chosen locations for both LC and the old Happy Eaters. No wonder so many have fallen by the wayside over the years.
The urban ones in West Yorkshire, always seemed a bit out of place, the long closed one at Rooley Avenue, Bradford and the soon to be closed one on Huddersfield Road, Mirfield. Both located not exactly on major trunk roads.
The Mirfield Little Chef opened on the Wednesday morning after the announcement and by lunchtime was closed. Boarded up and signage removed.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by PeterA5145 »

A303Paul wrote:I don't think its just businessmen using them, otherwise the Little Chefs on the A303 would not be the success that they are.
No, but they represent a significant source of custom and help explain why there are (or used to be) a lot of branches in urban and urban fringe locations.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by NICK 647063 »

The Mirfield Little Chef opened on the Wednesday morning after the announcement and by lunchtime was closed. Boarded up and signage removed.
This is like the one on the A64 at Claxton my friend when to work yesterday morning unaware that the LC there was closing but by 10am they got a call telling them then 5 minutes later the guys turned up and boarded it up removed all signs and left only the picnic benches outside remain!

Seems rather bad that they had no warning and the A64 Claxton which they called Malton little chef was not on the list of ones to close that I saw!
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by NSWP »

So, when I pick up my rental car from Southampton post cruise on 27 April,my first mission is to find a Little Chef to savour the lovely Michelin Award cuisine spoken about on here. Fried Mars Bar anyone? :laugh:

Alas I might encounter a Maccas or Burger King first. :msntea:
Cheers..LES

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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by Big L »

Battered deep-fried Mars bars are lovely.
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si404
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

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NSWP wrote:So, when I pick up my rental car from Southampton post cruise on 27 April,my first mission is to find a Little Chef to savour the lovely Michelin Award cuisine spoken about on here. Fried Mars Bar anyone? :laugh:
You can get deep fried mars bars at Big Georges in Portswood, Southampton. You won't find a Little Chef for quite some distance around Southampton.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by Ritchie333 »

Crikey, haven't been in Big George's for years, but it was a regular stop after closing time at the Talking Heads, which is next door. It shut (the pub that is) a few weeks back, but there is a huge campaign to get it re-opened, which is good as it was by far and away my most frequented pub when I lived there.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by multiraider2 »

Further to Peter's message, the only time I have ever been in a Little Chef was as a (fairly rubbish) salesman, when taken there by my sales manager.

Despite it not being for me, she did give me some advice/motivation which I still keep with me. "No matter how bad it's been today, if you have learned one thing from it, then it hasn't been a total waste of time." I used that advice to decide to do something I could do.

This ends my Little Chef sermon.
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NSWP
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by NSWP »

si404 wrote:
NSWP wrote:So, when I pick up my rental car from Southampton post cruise on 27 April,my first mission is to find a Little Chef to savour the lovely Michelin Award cuisine spoken about on here. Fried Mars Bar anyone? :laugh:
You can get deep fried mars bars at Big Georges in Portswood, Southampton. You won't find a Little Chef for quite some distance around Southampton.
Thanks for that, but I am driving first up from Southampton to Okehampton area in Devon, must be a Little Chef somewhere along that route! Have to do a Junk Food journey route map. :msntea:
Cheers..LES

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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by SteveA30 »

If you are going M27/A31/A35/A30 then, there are 8 to choose from. Trouble is, I don't know which ones are closing. Some of these may be boarded up by the time you get here. A35 Shute is the most likely to go on that route, it is always quiet.

Alternatives are a Mcd at A31/A348 rbt - Roadside Cafe on A31 west of Wimborne (an old LC) - Vines Farmhouse Kitchen 2 miles further on.- Mcd at A35/A37 rbt - Bridport bypass cafe,- Kilmington Chef A35,- A30 Honiton bypass, Lorry park and cafe,- M5 Exeter Services, rubbish access, due to multiple traffic lights and, queues.- A30, The Owl, hut in layby,- Whiddon Down, next to LC, Esso garage with cafe,- Okehampton bypass, White House Services.

Try Okehampton station, cafe there and steam train ride out to Meldon Viaduct, where you can walk onto Dartmoor or cycle along the rest of the old railway route.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by ravenbluemoon »

If you head out of Southampton towards Totton, get yourself on the A326 Totton bypass, and make a right at the roundabout with the A336 - Goodie's Chippy is just there. Was good when I was in the area, always quite busy. Handy for getting onto the M27 at Junction 2 as well.
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by SteveA30 »

The current situation from that nice Alice at LC, sent 10 mins ago.

Please see below a list of the sites that closed a few weeks ago and the three that closed the weekend just gone. The rest are trading but some are currently under review and may close in due course.

Adlington

Barton U Needwood

Bebington

Burton South. So, the A38 from Lichfield to Derby has lost all of its LC's, there were others closed earlier.

Cross Hands

Dumbarton

Dundee

Hagley

Hartlebury A449 now LC free

Hellingly

Kilmarnock

Middlewich

Mirfield

Newby

Newtown

Rising Bridge

Worksop

Hope-U-Dinmore

Capel St Mary North

Ings
Malton

The last three are the sites that have closed this weekend and have not yet been updated on the website, the rest have been removed from the website and map.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Kind regards,

Alice Jones
Little Chef Customer Service
TS
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Re: where are the little chefs going?

Post by TS »

NSWP wrote:
si404 wrote:
NSWP wrote:So, when I pick up my rental car from Southampton post cruise on 27 April,my first mission is to find a Little Chef to savour the lovely Michelin Award cuisine spoken about on here. Fried Mars Bar anyone? :laugh:
You can get deep fried mars bars at Big Georges in Portswood, Southampton. You won't find a Little Chef for quite some distance around Southampton.
Thanks for that, but I am driving first up from Southampton to Okehampton area in Devon, must be a Little Chef somewhere along that route! Have to do a Junk Food journey route map. :msntea:
Well there's one about 10 miles into your journey, at Stoney Cross on the A31. At least, it was still open yesterday when I went past.
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